REVIEW: Illuminations: A World Showcase

I must admit how much of a relief this show was from my typical attended performances. Don’t get me wrong, fine arts are truly extraordinary experiences that should not be often missed, but the dynamics of a student-run performance are far more different when compared to some of the best performers from around the world. An audience full of overflowing bursts of laughter, oohs-and-ahhs from edge-of-your-seat excitement, and the best part of all — enduring support from one another. Given that we are watching student performers who are not masters of dance or singing or whatever have you, there will be reasonable mishaps that occur on stage. Nonetheless, the support shown by fellow peers in the audience gives a friendly reminder that it is okay to mess up sometimes and those watching will only help encourage you to keep going. I always feel a sense of inspiration when watching my fellow classmates illicit such bravery in front of an audience to showcase their hard work that occurs outside of the classroom. It also makes me so happy to witness the enthusiasm of those in the audience whose friends are performing on stage.

I am extremely appreciative of the efforts made by the Central Student Government to hold this initiative of showcasing its diverse student clubs on campus. We were able to not only see respective dance moves but also respective clothing/costumes and hear distinct music as well. The lineup was as follows: Michigan Izzat, Rxn, Cangaco Capoeira, Maize Mirchi, Hipnotics, Revolution, Alpha Phi Alpha, Leim, Female Gayo, Michigan Ballroom, and Photonix. To point out some of my favorites, I was particularly engaged during the Cangaco Capoeira performance, mainly due to their moves being so intense that I was in fear of someone getting hurt…that’s how action-filled their performance was! Another favorite was by Maize Mirchi, a South Asian a cappella group. They even sang one of my favorite songs by Ellie Goulding! Lastly, I was fairly intrigued by the Irish dancing women of Leim.

Now, of course, I cannot fail to mention the campus-favorites who tend to usually appear at plenty of events — Revolution and Photonix! If you still have yet to see even a snippet of one of their performances, you are undoubtedly missing out. After seeing both of their performances on different occasions, I am convinced that there is something about seeing so many different colors flying around at once and objects pivoting across the stage that eludes to happiness. Perhaps it is though, seeing these activities bring back the best childhood memories of fun out of us. Thanks to this showcase, I am highly looking forward to seeing all of these groups in a full performance of their own.